Sports Journalism: Ethical Issues and Responsibilities for Reporters and Pundits

IKEJA, Nigeria - Feb. 22, 2023 - PRLog -- A pundit is a person who offers mass media opinion or commentary on a particular subject area. Sports ethics is a positive concept that guides human action in sports. It is defined as the code of conduct for promoting and ensuring healthy sporting practices. Sports ethics signifies not just a certain form of behavior but also a particular way of thinking.

Sports journalists have an ethical obligation to provide citizens and consumers with fair and balanced reporting on issues that affect their communities, their pocketbooks and the health and educations of their children.

Further, sports journalists must remember that they're part of a larger profession. The way they practice the craft reflects on anyone who works in a newsroom. The credibility of journalism is built or eroded by contributions of everyone within the profession, no matter what they cover. Sports journalists often aren't driven by the values and goals of journalism in general, it is no surprise that surveys show that they often do not think they need to adhere to journalism's ethical norms.

Examples of ethics in sports

1.       Following rules within a game, and accepting penalties when given.

2.       Calling games fairly as a referee.

3.       Compensating players fairly.

4.       Employing rules that keep players, fans and officials safe.

5.       Regulating performance-enhancing substances.

There are other differences, too, in what media consumers want from sports journalists. Often, it's "good news only" coverage about the home team. Sports journalists who've exhibited an investigative bent haven't been well received by many fans.

Sports journalists also face a type of competition not faced by most of their newsroom counterparts, in the form of direct competition from the athletes, teams and leagues they cover through Web sites and cable operations such as those operated by the NFL. As sports media critic Robert Weintraub points out, gone are the days when the beat reporter was the sole conduit of news about athletes and teams. Major League Baseball has its own "reporters," for instance, who post stories designed to compete with those published in mainstream media outlets.

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